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Music

I'm confident that John Lennon could have never imagined his music being available as single-song digital downloads world wide, much less through an online store called iTunes, made possible by a computer company that calls itself Apple.

Though much of Lennon's solo recordings have been released for download
commercially elsewhere, it's the first time they have been available on Apple's market-leading iTunes music service.

Girl Power is back in full force with the Spice Girls announcing they will reunite for 11 concert dates kicking off in the U.S. via Los Angeles on December 7th. For an ex Spice Girl junkie like myself, this was earth shattering news. Shortly after the start of their sellout 102 date Spiceworld Tour in 1998 Geri Halliwell pulled her spice from the all girl, Brit-pop spice rack. In 2001 the remaining four members announced it was over. Their departure from pop radio left an unmistakable breech in the earth's atmosphere unmatched since The Beatles split in 1970. But who's paying any attention to that small fact?

Mark Ronson who produced five tracks on Amy's latest "Back To Black" album (the five best tracks in my opinion) has released a new record of his own featuring a variety of my favorite Brit-pop lung launchers including Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Robbie Williams among others. Winehouse is featured on the Ronson reworking of "Valerie" an obscure recording by The Zutons, punched up by Ronson in classic Motown style. It's a brilliant track that caught my ear first listen reminding me of "The Supremes". If you love Amy you will flip over this track. Amy Winehouse also performs an intimate "live" version of the song that melts in your mouth, not in your hands. The new Mark Ronson album entitled "Version" is available in it's entirety at Amazon including the Import release.

It was 40 years ago today, The Beatles taught the world to play with their groundbreaking release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. The brilliant songs, visionary recording techniques and even the cover art changed the course of pop music back in 1967. Grammy Award winning audio engineer Geoff Emerick best known for his work on The Beatles Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, The White Album and Abbey Road has chosen to unlock the magic of The Beatles legacy by recording modern versions of the beloved songs from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to commemorate 40 years since the original release on June 1st, 1967.

"How could they top
('Revolver')? Little did we know that ... we would not only be topping
it, but sending all barriers crashing to the ground." Geoff Emerick

As the end drew near on an amazing episode of "House"entitled "Family", a song started playing which is typical in most episodes of "House". I heard a solo acoustic guitar followed by a voice with a nasal quality that sounded oddly familiar, much like Tracy Chapman but clearly it's was not her. I heard the lyrics;

"There ain’t no reason things are this way, it’s how they always been and they intend to stay, I can't explain why we live this way, we do it everyday." Brett Dennen - Lyrics

A few more lines into the song and I was hooked, feeling myself being
dragged along like I was connected to a trolling line on the back of a
fishing boat.

British import Amy Winehouse has hit the states with an unmistakable thud on her second album "Back To Black". Right from the opening beat of "You Know I'm No Good", I was captivated by this pint sized soul, jazz and R&B singer songwriter from North London. Her new record is clearly a throw back homage to some of the greats like Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, The Ronettes and The Shirelles. Amy's voice is a mix of smoky, sultry and smooth with a deep infectious quality that resonates with confidence.

I was reluctant to purchase The Beatles Love CD inspired by the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name. It has taken me sometime since it's release to finally give-it-a-go. I quickly conceded that this latest release surprisingly transcends the recordings from the original Beatles albums. From the opening a cappella notes of Because I knew I was in for an exhilarating thrill ride mixed with magic and realism. George Martin, legendary Beatles producer along with his son Giles Martin deliver a powerful, modern concept album that creates a unique listening adventure.

Omitting digital rights protection on premium downloads will come with a small price on iTunes.

EMI said almost all of its catalog, excluding music by The Beatles, is included in the new deal. Higher-quality music files, which will play on any computer and any digital-audio player, will not replace the copy-protected EMI music currently sold through iTunes. Rather, they will complement the standard $.99 cent iTunes downloads and will be sold at a $1.29 per song. CNET

Steve Jobs gets his wish for downloads with no DRM protection, though iTunes customers will have to pay a premium for higher quality. Look for major labels to adopt a wait-and-see position following this groundbreaking move that shatters a previously ironclad commitment to digital protection. Are you willing to pay more to get more? Count me in!

The best part of buying an iPod is walking into an Apple Store with eye candy popping up everywhere and stimulation stations every two feet for your viewing pleasure. That's the fun part, now the hard part begins. Which iPod is the right one for you? If you're picking out an iPod as a gift for someone else or it's you're first iPod, this can be a daunting task. I have owned almost every iPod since their release. I currently own five iPods that I use for different purposes. I've written a few basic guidelines you can follow to help you choose the right iPod.

This week's leading rumour relates to The Beatles, with a report claiming the act will release music through iTunes, perhaps as soon as 14 February — Valentine's Day. Fortune magazine last year speculated a limited edition Beatles iPod may also emerge as part of this deal.

This deal for Apple may signal the start of a huge new demand by baby boomer's for music downloads. Apple has led the way with iTunes, the iPod and the iTunes music store. It would make perfect sense that Apple lead the charge with the exclusive down-loadable Beatles catalog. This will leave Apple competitors yelling... HELP! I need somebody, not just anybody. Maybe Led Zeppelin will oblige. Only tribute songs can be found today by Zep fans on iTunes.